LA Clippers' new Intuit Dome starts to take shape as mayor tours construction site

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- Down the street from SoFi Stadium, construction is underway for the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers: Intuit Dome.

At the moment, progress at Intuit Dome in Inglewood looks like a big dirt hole. As progress continues, one can start to visualize the center court, the locker room and the wall.

What is the wall?

"First of its kind," said Intuit Dome Chief Operating Officer Alex Diaz. "Fifty-one rows of uninterrupted seats, over 5,000 fans right on top of actions, an architectural marvel."

Clippers executive and local legend Jerry West has had a front row seat to the progress of the site.

"This is going be an unbelievable building, a great experience to come into, and hopefully, the kind of teams that represented Inglewood in the past," he said.

Since moving from San Diego in 1984, the Clippers have shared a stadium with the hometown favorite Lakers and have always played second fiddle in terms of scheduling and resources.

"We have, I think, the first or second most difficult schedule in terms of travel, and also hours spent on the road," West said.

The creation of Intuit Dome is about moving the Clippers forward in a place players and executives can call home.

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The stadium will seat 18,000 people, and the fans will enjoy seats closer to the court than most arenas. It's expected to create 7,000 jobs in construction, including 1,500 in the arena once it opens with an incentive for the city of Inglewood.

"In all of our development agreements, for the renovation of The Forum, for the building of SoFi, the building of Intuit Dome, we have a 35% local hire goal," Inglewood Mayor James Butts Jr. said.

The mayor was celebrated Wednesday for his commitment to change Inglewood and is adamant it will be for the better.

"What you do is build a community that has job opportunities that people can grow with," he said. "I believe we're doing that.

Intuit Dome is set to open in 2024.